The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-06-02
MILLS MAKES A MASH.
The Corsicana "BulI of the Woods"
Delights an Audience.
The Dissecting Knife Ably APP
piled to the New Ism-A
Prohlbitlonist Rally at
the Court House.

Inc opera mouse Was Well CROWDED las
Thursday night to hear the argument o.
Hon. Roger Q. Mills IN opposition to the
proposed prohibitory amendment to the
state constitution. The crowd began
gathering before o'clock, but it WAS
nearly 9 o'clock before the speaker ar
rived. By that time the auditorium was
so we'll filled that there were bat few vacant
chairs to be seen, either upstairs or
down. 1t was a representative assemblage
too, with number of ladies present to
add their grace to the occasion. Among
the large audience were to be seen Gov
ernor Lubbock, Hon. R. H. Harrison,
Senator W. H. Pope, Hon. 1. g. Searcy,
Major Joe H. Stewart, Rev. Father Lauth,
Judge Hurt, of the court of appeals;
Major Holmes, Gen. Burt, W. II. Fire
baugh, Dr.. Cummings, Walter Tips,
W. F. North and a number of others,
whose names are not now recalled.
A band of music discoursed several pieces
while the crowd was gathering, but when
Mr.. Mills entered with his escort the ap-
plause given him drowned the notes of
music on the outside Accompanying
Mr.. Mills to the platform were Mayor
Robertson, Attorney-general Hogg, Hon.
VIM. Brown, Mr.. H. II. Childers, Hon. L..
G. Alexander, of Bolton; Hon. @. R, Glib
son, Hon. A. w. Terrell, and Gen
eral r. S. Walker. Another
vigorous round of applause greeted the
disting aished speaker, when he arose as
Mayor Robertson presented him to the
audience.
Colonel Mills lost no time in diving d.
rect into his subject. Systematically,
clearly and eloquently he took up his
theme, and from its origin to its present
Developments, he discussed the rise
of prohibition. His first argument was
made upon the theory of our government
a government which acknowledged the
liberty of the individual, which primarily
declared all men to be equal. He declared
that now, for the first time in the history
of the country of our existence as gov
ernmeut, the fundamental principles
upon which it was estab
lished, are called in question.
The bedrock of our system of govern
ment is that man is capable of governing
himself. He contrasted this theory with
that of paternal government, that
denied to the citizen the exercise of the
right ofiself control, and cited the days of
puritanism as illustrative of paternalism
in government. In this free country we,
all smile when we please, and
in open daylight, unless the
prohibitionist be excepted who goes be-
hind the door to do his smiling. The
strength of our people, as people, is in
their virtue and their capacity for self
government, and yet these puritanical
reformers are dancing US along tine prim-
ros way to everlasting fire because
we do not prohibit the manu-
facture and sale of alcoholic liquors
except for medicinal, mechanical sclen-
tfc and sacramental purposes.
Colonel Mills drew largely upon Jeffer-
son to show that the true democratic doc
line inculcated the idea of the fullest
degree of personal liberty. He reviewed
the growth of the country, and contrasted
is rec ord with that of other governments
in point of education, morals, intelligence,
religion and general prosperity, 'and
yet" said the speaker, "with all this mag
ni6cent showing, which places US in ad-
vance of any people on tn globe, they
seek to tell US that self-government is
failure. Six thousand million dollars of
products ara turned out, higher wages are
paid to our workmen, and yet it counts
naught when the puritan claims that
self government is failure.
How long," asked the speaker, "will your
government last if you depart from the
principle that all men are equal. When
ever preferred classes are acknowledged,
those classes will be aggrandizsd, the peo-
pie will lose and the government will fail,
and a preference of classes is just what
prohibition brings in its train. Our
country was founded by the fathers to pro-
tect every man within its boundaries, not
to propagate Christianity, not to propa-
gate morality.
"The chemist, the druggist, are allowed
to raise their own grapes and make their
own wine under this new idea, but the honest
farmer who prefers to raise grapes rather
than cotton, believing it to be the more
profitable crop, is to be Inhibited. Is not
this species of class legislation that Is
antagonistic to the very essence of our
governmental idsa?"
The speaker next adverted to the claim
that wine should be exempted for sacra-
mental purposes. He said it was claimed
that there was no alcohol in the wine that
was made by the Lord at Cana, but yet,
under this constitutional inhibition, alco-
holic wine for sacramento purposes Is
one of the special exemptions. Where,
pray, is the consistency for this? Col.
Mills then applied the rule the other
way, and on a suppositious case that
all should be allowed free use and sale of
liquor, except those requiring it for
medicinal, mechanical, scientific or sacra-
mental purposes. Would there not be a
mighty howl abroad in the land over the
infringement of the rights of the people,
the iniuuitous domination of radical
majority? And yet identically the same
principle is involved. AS said
before, this government is
not made for the propagation
of Christianity or morality, but it is made
to guarantee to every man the right of per-
sonal liberty, the pursuit of happiness
and the enjoyment of his life in accord
ance with the dictates of his own soul and
conscience. This prohibition amendment
proposes to top the manufacture
of liquors, but does not stop
their importation, aud thereby makes
a discrimination against the poor man
and in favor of the rich mar. Is all the
vice, all the sin, all the evil at the door
step of the son of poverty, that ne must
be restricted, while the man of wealth Is
allowed his privileges? The inalienable
rights of the citizen, the rights of man
that cannot be parted with, pro
test against such an idea. Liberty
81, =. n Land that does not love